I am not a blogger

Once in a lifetime chance to go to the Jazzfest in New Orleans, and me and my friends are too hung over to really enjoy it. We suck.

The festival was much better than I anticipated. Early in the day it was not crowded at all, you could walk right up to a stage and dance or watch the band-not that we did, we just shuffled along like the walking dead-but we could have. The layout of the festival is very good, most stages are spread apart enough that the noise is not a factor. I believe there were like 8 stages and tents.

As we walk in, the first band is a Spanish band, big bang, with horns and percussion and typical latino music. Fun, energy, and would have loved to stay and watch, but had to shuffle along in a trance in search of food.

Thank god we found the food next. I have never seen festival food like this. All typical Cajun New Orleans Southern choices, long long rows of booths with the type of food in bold letters a long the top, and no booth selections were the same: Fried Alligator, Po Boys, Gumbo, Etouffe, Muffaletta (had one). I also had fried green tomatoes and a cajun meat pie. 3 lunches. There wasn't single cotton candy or elephant ears to be found, none of the typical food.

The booze was a problem. 3 types of beer at the whole festival and one of them as non-alcoholic! Fosters was one which I hate, and ironically I am there with 2 frat buddies from Australia. So it was Miller Time. You could also get wine in a plastic bottle, and-I kid you not---champagne in an aluminum can. I had one at first, carbonation good for the hangover, mixed with that hair of the dog. It did not taste at all like champagne, but it hit the spot whatever it was.

The artsy booths were really cool also, true artists, again not typical festival crap. We shuffled through them in a haze, not happy, not unhappy, just floating around.

I supposed you notice I am nearly the end of the entry with very little mention of music. There is a reason for this. Yes, I went to a music festival and basically watched 4 songs of one band. It was Alison Krauss and Robert Plant. Main stage, end of day, ridiculously crowded, so we just couldn't deal. My Australian friend was moved, 'She sings like an angel' he said. I was impressed to see Robert Plant live, I mean Led Zeppelin! But he was doing this folky kinda thing and I was tired. So we left before Sheryl Crow.

As I look back, I really am disappointed that I was all the way there and did not get to really "do" the festival. So I will have to rewrite my first sentence and be sure it is not a once in a lifetime event, and go back next year.